Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-12-09
LITTLE WHITE SLArE,s.
Il system Of Bondage That Surpassed Tim
of the Southern SIan.,,.

The following communication on tho
SUBJECT OF child labor has been re.
c G. from Mr.. Charles E. Buell., of
Springfield, Mass, and contains MANY
suggestions worthy of consideration bv
manufacturers as we'll as by parents:
In 1869 barber, who was so poorly
dressed that his friends made up sub
scrlptions to keep him decently clothed,
improved the spinning machine that
had been invented by Watt. He died
as Sir Richard Arkwright, leaving his
son property worth two and a half
millions, Years later his son, pos.
sessed of fifty millions, followed his
father to the AFFECTION of the grave.
Their wealth was accumulated by the
labor OF children. Previous to this
children grew up under the care Of
parents whose earnings were ample to
insure beef and mutton every day
and who made cloth for their own use
and for sale without child labor.
The time which gave rise to the
phrase 'Merrie England gave place to
a system that contained no equity in
the rewards and obligations of labor, a
system that subverted those pleasures
and comforts which the word home had
suggested to English ears, and dwarfed
the patriotism of the people. 1t was
England's factory system by Albright,
from the evils of which England can
never recover. Under this system the
mill owner quickly discovered that
machine worked as fast if tended by
child, and children were obtained from
the overseers of the poor in the cities,
sold by thousands to the mill owner by
signed indenture binding the children
till II years old to their new masters.
This slavery was worse than our
Southern States ever knew. Their
masters were more avaricious, and the
word involved no waiting for nature,
like agriculture. These children were
worked consistently sixteen hours
day, scantily clothed, poorly fed and
crowded into dormitories for the little
remnant of the night, Forced to con-
tinuous labor, refused the privilege of
sitting down, under peril of brutal
chastisement, deaths became so fire.
quent that, out OF shame or fear of pub
lie opinion, their bodies were sent to
other parishes for burial. This Eng
lish system, which, we ape, is less
merciful to children than was Herod of
old.
The attempts to palliate and disguise
this wrong doing by legal enactments
relating to child labor should cease.
Child labor should be prohibited. Chill
dren have no legal status as workers,
is remarked by Hon. Carroll d. Wright.
Children should be educated, and, no
matter how poor their parents, their
vacation from school should not be long
hours of labor. 1t is an unfair treat
ment of helpless childhood. 1t is I'M
just to their fathers to put them in COM
petition with children's labor. It is not
good business policy, as cheap labor
contributes nothing to the market ;or
manufactured goods. 1t is cheapness
that dries up the very source of demand
while urging production to over-supply.
1t is rude impulse that will lead men
to employ children to derive o profit
under the subtle forces termed "the
laws of trade" Not less rude than
that which impells the italian who en-
cages in padroning. Please use your
influence to prohibit the labor Of child
rem before their bones hardened. -Bos-
to1e transcript.
THE CHICAGO CONTENTION OF 1860.
1t is not surprising that Charleston
and Chicago should furnish so many
contrasts. At the Charleston
the principal personal Incl
den twas q long and frank speech from
neGaulden, a Savannah slave-trader, in
advocacy OF the African trade. In
The Chicago convention the exact and
extreme opposite of such theme Gre
ated one OF the most interesting de-
bates. The platform had been read
and received with tremendous cheers,
when Mr.. Giddings, Of Ohio, who was
everywhere eager to insist upon what
he designated as the ''primal truths"
of the Declaration Of Independence,
moved to amend the first resolution by
incorporating in it the phrase which
announces the right OF all men to
'life, liberty, and the pursuit OF hap
piness" The convention was impa-
tent to adopt the platform without
change; several delegates urged objec-
tons, one of them pertinently observ-
ing that there were also many other
truths enunciated in the Declaration of
"Mr. President" said
he, 81 believe in the Ten Command
ments, but / do not want them in po-
litical platform. Mr.. Gidding's amend
ment was voted down, and the anti